As the early vote begins in Texas, it is already underway in many states across America. Now is the time for us not to just get out the vote enough to win, but to bring all of our votes to the polls to send a clear message to our government. Many areas of Texas are solid red in our votes. But, in some of our largest counties we have gone anywhere from purple to solid blue. Many local races were lost by Republicans with the slimmest of margins. Sometimes only a few votes separated a Republican victory or loss in recent elections. This is a trend you can stop!

Dallas County went blue several years ago and in 2008 President Obama washed a sea of blue votes across Harris County and swept out many well qualified judges in the process. In 2010 we moved back to the right, but despite a wave of Republican victories across Texas, Harris County voted for Democrat Bill White over Republican Rick Perry. At this point, Harris County is dark purple and just a few votes could make a difference on many of our down ballot races.

This year was a very odd election cycle. Democrats protested our redistricting and extended our primaries and run-off election through July. We have not had the time for post-primary healing and party unity building that occurs after most primary seasons. We must come together today, as a party, and drive home the message of conservative values by electing our entire slate of candidates across Texas and especially here in Harris County.

During a recent event at King Street Patriots, I spoke with several of our judicial candidates about their races as well as two judges, one who won in 2008 by the slimmest of margins and one who lost by just a few votes. Judge Tad Halbach is a Civil Court Judge on the 333rd Civil District Court. Out of over 1 million votes cast in the 2008 election, he won his race by 230 votes. Imagine what would have happened if just a few more Republicans had stayed home because we all knew McCain was going to carry Texas anyway!

Tattooed Democrat Judge Kevin Fine

Two of our outstanding judges, Brock Thomas of the 338th Criminal District Court and Devon Anderson of the 177th Criminal District Court were swept out by highly unqualified judges with a slim margin of about 2 percentage points. Anderson was replaced by the now infamous Judge Kevin Fine who verbally castigated a rape victim in open court after her rapist had been convicted and then went on and later declared Texas’ death penalty to be unconstitutional. Do you think a few votes might have made a difference here? Listen below as Judges Halbach and Thomas talk about the importance of your vote in these elections.

Judge Thomas is back on the ballot for criminal district court judge this election cycle along with former judge Roger Bridgwater (also unseated in the 2008 wave by a very close margin). Also joining them on the ballot are several immensely qualified candidates for criminal court judge including Renee Magee who has served the Harris County District Attorney’s office for nearly twenty years; Judge Ryan Patrick who was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to replace the aforementioned Judge Kevin Fine, and Judge Mark Kent Ellis; current prosecutor Brad Hart and former prosecutors Stacey Bond, Robert Summerlin and Kristin Guiney.

Judge Halback is seeking re-election for his position on the 333rd Civil District Court. He is joined on the ballot by Judge Ken Wise; former judges Elizabeth Ray (who lost in 2008 by only 400 votes) and Russell Lloyd; and a host of outstandingly qualified candidates including former Tax Court Judge and double board certified, thirty-five year lawyer Michael Landrum; Bruce Bain, Jeff Hastings, Richard Risinger, John Coselli, Lamar McCorkle, John Wittenmyer (running against Democrat Judge Michael Englehart who said the happiest day of his life was the day Obama came out for Gay Marriage), Don Self, Bud Wiesedeppe, and Ken Shortreed. I mentioned Ken last because, as he loves to say, “It’s a long ballot, but a Shortreed at the bottom!”

Democrats are being stirred up to vote. The Houston Chronicle has been providing cover for Democrats like County Attorney Vince Ryan and Sheriff Adrian Garcia.They showed a total lack of credibility by endorsing the opponent of one of our best qualified and most conservative candidates, Justice Brett Busby, candidate for the 14th Court of Appeals Place 3. Justice Busby clerked for not one, but two U.S. Supreme Court Justices (Byron White and John Paul Stevens) and has argued and briefed cases before that court on many occasions. Perhaps the Chronicle believes Justice Busby is well on his way to a future appointment as a conservative justice on that great court.

In our county civil courts we also have two outstanding incumbents running for re-election. Judge Theresa Chang previously served the people of Harris County as the District Clerk before moving to the County Court #2 bench. Judge Debra Ibarra Mayfield was appointed to County Court #1 late last year and has done a great job in this position for the people of Harris County.

Bond issues are also working against us by bringing out traditional Democrat voters. Metro also has a proposition to try and take more of your sales tax dollars for toy trains. Vote yes on the Metro issue to stop them from taking money away from street repair. There is also a city council race which could increase the Democrat vote in parts of the city. We cannot sit back and count on a Romney wave to sweep our candidates into office. We must get out our vote!

The Federal Courts have put Voter ID law, you worked so hard for many years to get passed, on hold – allowing Democrats to continue their usual tactics of voter fraud and improper registration in full force. FortunatelyTrue the Vote will put forth a small army of well-trained election officials and poll watchers to keep a watchful eye out for fraud. But we will still need every vote we can get to achieve our victory and send the proper message to Washington and Austin.

We have a great slate of Republican candidates up and down the ballot and the Democrats have gone a long way to give us even more reasons to vote STRAIGHT REPUBLICAN! Just look at the District Attorney’s race where an outstandingly qualified former criminal court judge, Mike Anderson faces off against a laughable Democrat Lloyd Oliver, who thinks domestic violence is sexual foreplay and that prosecutors should be hired by their bust size. The Houston Chronicle showed some political honesty through Patti Hart’s chastising article “Domestic Violence is a Serious Issue, Mr. Oliver“. The Houston Press wrote about the self-proclaimed “Tea Party Democrat” Lloyd Oliver. The article details the eccentricities of Oliver including his bedroom wall adorned with a plastic pair of breasts and panty draped buttocks.

Ted Cruz Grassroots Victory Celebration 2012

Our U.S. Senate candidate, Ted Cruz, fired up the grass roots voters of Texas to come out in the heat of a July run-off election and put him on the November ballot. Can we keep that level of excitement through this election and send a Senator Cruz to D.C. to work for the reforms we demand? Carry that energy and excitement to the polls and vote for all of our down ballot candidates!

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia is just one of the Democrat officials being protected by County Attorney Vince Ryan. Garcia has a string of failures in his office and we will be well served by replacing him with a very strongly qualified candidate, Louis Guthrie!

Elections have consequences. We cannot afford the consequences of Democrats winning or keeping some of these critical down ballot races. We have a great opportunity to not only win a decisive victory for conservatives but to send a message of real change across our state. It starts with you.

Vote today and then spend the next two weeks talking to your friends and neighbors. Get them to the polls. Find every like-minded registered voter you can and make sure they vote. Some of these races may well be decided by just a few votes. Make sure you don’t leave any votes at home that could have made the difference. I am voting today! See you at the polls…

Texas Redistricting is a mess. No one seems to know which end is up when it comes to when and where to file. Maybe even what race to file for. Amidst all this chaos, one thing is clear – Judge Lana Shadwick has filed for the Republican nomination for Judge of the 179th Criminal District Court in the Harris County Republican Primary. During an informal filing ceremony, Judge Shadwick was joined by members of her family and volunteers from the campaign as she filed her forms, submitted petitions and paid her filing fee.

Shadwick’s campaign, now officially underway, has already garnered county wide support from key Harris County Republicans. She has earned the endorsements of leaders like former Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt and County Judge Robert Eckels, State Representative Debbie Riddle, District Clerk Chris Daniels, County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez, Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Don Sumners, Constable Ron Hickman and many others… She has been endorsed by recognized conservative legal scholars like retired Justices Paul Pressler (Fourteenth Court of Appeals) and Tim Taft (First Court of Appeals). Shadwick has been endorsed by over 175 of the party’s precinct chairs, senate district chairs, SREC members, grass roots activists and Tea Party members of Harris County.

Shadwick signs filing forms under the watchful eyes of her parents, volunteers and the images of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. On the wall behind the group are former chairs of the Harris County Republican Party including former Chairman and US President George H. W. Bush.

Shadwick’s conservative credentials cover 35 years of Republican political history. “My parents are conservative and have always voted Republican. In 1976, I asked my father who to vote for when casting my first vote at age eighteen. He told me to vote for the Republican presidential nominee, President Gerald R. Ford.” Shadwick comes from a background of solid family values. Her parents, Bobby and Joyce Shannon, have been married for 58 years and have attended Pastor John Morgan’s Sagemont Church since 1969. Bobby Shannon also passed along his interest in firearms and the 2nd Amendment to his daughter, teaching her to shoot in her early years. Mr. Shannon has been a “Life Member” of the National Rifle Association for fifty years.

Bobby & Joyce Shannon with their daughter Lana Shadwick

Her parents said, “We are very proud of Lana. She has worked hard all her life to get to this point. Her life experiences and education bring her unique qualifications to serve in this position of great public trust.” They continued, “Lana has always excelled at everything she does. She will make an outstanding criminal court judge.”

Shadwick currently works in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. However, being a judge is not about being a second prosecutor in the room. A judge must administer justice, not prosecute the law. Her prior experience as a Houston Municipal Court Associate Judge and a Harris County Family Court Associate Judge has taught her how to weigh the law fairly and firmly. She understands the adversarial role of our judicial system and the judge’s position as an umpire. She has managed large case loads and court staffs. And most importantly, as an appellate attorney in the District Attorney’s Office, Shadwick understands how to avoid many types of errors judges can make leading to reversal on appeal. Visit her website for a complete review of her qualifications.

Shadwick poses with the images of two of her heros, Presidents Ronald Reagan (for whom her daughter Reagan is named) and George W. Bush.

Shadwick brings the voters of Harris County a clear choice. She brings a broad base of experience and knowledge for making the life altering decisions a felony criminal judge must make. She has a judicial temperament that will establish confidence that justice will be served.

As you can tell, the filing event was a lot of fun. But running a campaign is very hard work and demands much personal sacrifice. The election of judges affect the lives of many people. You must now decide who will represent you on the bench. Get informed. Be involved. Vote!

Lana Shadwick will return to the bench and be an outstanding criminal court judge for the State of Texas and the people of Harris County. I am proud to share her story with you and give her my personal endorsement in this race.

With all the furor over the Arizona Illegal Immigration Enforcement Law recently passed, another new law in Arizona passed without much fanfare. Effective July 29th of this year, Arizona citizens will be allowed to carry a concealed weapon without a concealed carry permit.

The 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees the right of American citizens to “keep and bare arms”. The new Arizona law re-affirms the right of Americans in Arizona to defend themselves with a concealed weapon. Arizona will continue to issue Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) licenses to qualified citizens. One might ask why someone would want a AZ CCW license when they are allowed to concealed carry without a license. There are two good reasons for this. First would be for travel purposes. The Arizona CCW license has reciprocity with 32 other states. This affords AZ citizens the ability to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights without question in these other states. Additionally, by having a AZ CCW license, citizens can forgo the NICS background check when purchasing new firearms as their background has already been thoroughly checked. The training for an AZ CCW is also a good idea to make certain the citizen is familiar with applicable AZ laws regarding the use of deadly force and prohibited places of carry.

Arizona joins Alaska and Vermont in passing “Constitutional Carry” laws which allow its citizens to carry a firearm open carry or concealed, with our without a license.

Should Texas follow the lead of these other states by passing its own “Constitutional Carry” law? At the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Dallas earlier this month, I asked that question to Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson. He said he would support this kind of legislation in Texas. While serving as a Texas State Senator, Jerry Patterson sponsored the legislation that brought Concealed Carry rights to Texans. Patterson also supports open carry in Texas asking “is an openly carried gun more dangerous than a concealed one? I don’t think so.”

The upcoming legislature of Texas will face many new challenges. Many people will be asking Texas to follow the lead of Arizona in regards to immigration enforcement. I hope Texas will follow the lead of Arizona on this issue as well.